With arrest pending, Iverson throws party at home

PHILADELPHIA -- As he awaited arrest on assault charges, Allen Iverson played host to an all-night party at his mansion, where guests swam and played basketball in the rain.

The $2.4 million house in Gladwyne had been quiet since the charges were filed Thursday.

But the party that started Saturday lasted through the night, and photographs taken by The Associated Press show Iverson in a heated discussion with an unidentified older woman on the front step just before 5 a.m., as the party was breaking up.

Police, who have ordered Iverson to remain at home until his expected arrest Tuesday, kept tabs on the situation from outside the gate.

Philadelphia police filed warrants for Iverson's arrest the same day they searched the suburban mansion and towed off a Cadillac SUV, in which they found broken glass, rocks and blood. The search of the home and vehicle did not turn up a weapon, a police source has said.

The warrants charge that Iverson -- armed and accompanied by his uncle, Gregory Iverson -- went looking for his wife July 3 after a dispute and threatened two Philadelphia men at his cousin's apartment.

Police have said that Tawanna Iverson, 26, checked into a hotel on July 1 and that the NBA star went looking for her there, asking security guards if they had seen a car with smashed windows. He left without finding it, authorities said.

Police have ordered the 76ers' guard to remain at home until Tuesday, when he is scheduled to turn himself in after his lawyer returns from a European vacation.

''If Iverson is seen on the street or out partying, we will arrest him,'' Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson said Thursday.

A Philadelphia police spokesman said there was nothing to prevent Iverson from hosting a get-together at his home before he surrenders himself.

''The agreement was that Iverson would turn himself in on Tuesday and that he would stay on the grounds,'' Corporal Jim Pauley said.

The charges filed against Iverson include felony trespass and weapons charges and misdemeanor assault.

Anonymous sources told The New York Times in Sunday's editions that Iverson's contract with the Sixers wouldn't be guaranteed if he were convicted of a felony. Iverson has $40.5 million and three years left on a $70.8 million extension signed in January 1999.

Sixers spokeswoman Karen Frascona refused to confirm the report when contacted Sunday. Frascona said the team would have no comment while the police investigation continues.

Police have been stationed outside the star's mansion for days, directing traffic from fans and news media on the leafy, usually quiet street.

The Iversons, who met in high school in Hampton, Va., have two children, Tiaura, 7, and Allen II, 4, known as ''Deuce.''